Former WB Games, Zynga, and EA executives start Fortis to make social games in new genres

Fortis is a new developer and publisher, which has already made a few acquisitions. Formed by executives from big game companies, the studio plans to pursue a GaaS model and produce titles across several genres.

Fortis is run by former WB Games executive VP Steve Chiang. According to GamesBeat, the team also includes leaders from Electronic Arts, Zynga, Smule, and other companies.

“Fortis’ mission is to create worlds that matter, that are deeply social, across different platforms and genres, and to help build meaningful relationships and healthy communities through games,” Chiang said. “We have the massive backing and long term commitment of Sands, an experienced executive team, and the talent of a swiftly growing worldwide team to realize our vision.”

Sands Corporation, a Las Vegas resort developer, backed Fortis to expand into gaming because casinos have been damaged during the pandemic. In contrast, the games industry has been showing growth, so Sands saw an opportunity to diversify its business.

Fortis’ major focus will be the games-as-a-service model. The company plans to create social titles in new and under-explored genres. To achieve this goal, Fortis acquired three studios — Doppio Games, Oktagon Games, and Metagame. They will work separately on three different titles.

The company already has 100 employees and plans to triple its size in the next year.